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The DCA are your neighbours who live in the western half of Ottawa's Somerset Ward and includes Chinatown, Little Italy, and LeBreton Flats. We work to improve the neighbourhood by getting involved in projects that affect us.

More on sidewalk and boulevard patio applications

Sidewalk and boulevard patios are a great part of living in the City. Unfortunately, some are noisy and bothersome to residential neighbors. The city has a policy for circulating requests. In addition, the local councillor may choose to survey adjacent residents.

Without going into great detail ... a regular patio application at the corner of McLaren and Elgin has been turned down due to strong neighborhood opposition. Our association does not get involved in that particular request as its adjacent to but not in 'our territory'. An unusual motion is now going to transportation committee to approve the patio (it would be on city boulevard property).

The Association in the following letter added our opposition to this particular application and supports a review of the approval process so that the policy is known and reinforced:

To: Transportation Committee, 1 Sept 2010 meeting:

For the Sept 1, 2010 Transportation Committee meeting we wish to express our support for item 8, a motion for a "COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE CITY OF OTTAWA’S ENCROACHMENT BY-LAW AS IT RELATES TO OUTDOOR PATIO ENCROACHMENTS"

Furthermore, we recommend the Committee defers item 7 (Maclaren's patio request) pending the results of the comprehensive review (Item 8). Additionally the deferral is required as the address of Maclaren's in the motion is incorrect, thus interested residents could not have recognized the location during public circulation of the Committee Agenda.

Comments

The application was declined in 2006 because it did not meet the criteria; it was too close to a residential zone, so it was declined.

In such cases, Councillor Holmes will often consult the nearby residents, and if there is no opposition, she will move a motion at Transportation Committee for an exemption. She did this in 2007, and there was strong opposition, so she did not make a motion.

I wrote this afternoon to Transportation Committee on behalf of the CCCA, whose Board approved a motion by e-mail once I brought it to their attention.